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Geospatial Interface
The new Voyager geospatial interface functionality provides specifically
tailored searching for researchers to navigate within map collections,
and offers searching of the MARC 034 coded cartographic mathematical data
field, which stores the coordinates and the scale of maps. Voyager’s search
engine pinpoints only maps that include the exact coordinates a researcher
enters. Searches may be further limited by map projection or scale to ensure
only the best records are returned with Voyager’s relevance ranking.
The Voyager geospatial functionality also allows searching by a certain point in a radius; rectangular searches between two points; polygon searches for more obtuse searching; and corridor searching, all of which enable coastal regions, rivers, or roads to be accurately located on maps in the library’s database.
“Voyager’s unrivaled geospatial adeptness is an advantage to researchers
who realize maps use a different method of precision than words,” said
Cindy Miller, Endeavor’s director of product strategy. “By specifying another
level of detail for researchers, this geospatial module extends Voyager’s
searching capabilities to even more kinds of information.”
Endeavor, Clio Software
According to the announcement, by incorporating Clio’s extensive functionality,
the Voyager integrated library management system will provide the best
ILL capabilities available.
The partnership between Clio Software (http://www.cliosoftware.com) and Endeavor offers completely integrated library information management and ILL capabilities, beginning with this summer’s Voyager 2000 release. Clio’s ILL capabilities will be tightly integrated into Voyager’s OPAC and Circulation modules. Clio provides structured e-mail requests, full tracking, links to OCLC and Prism ILL, and DOCLINE support.
According to the announcement, Endeavor’s delivery of interlibrary loan capability is being expedited, appearing in the Voyager 2000 release instead of the 2001 release as originally planned. For the Voyager 2001 release, the Clio integration will include full ISO 10160/10161 support, local document delivery, and billing linkage. Clio is a fully developed, flexible solution to assist libraries in improving patron service, office efficiency, and management information.
“Combining forces will bring the best of both products to the library community,” said Larry Perkins, president of Clio Software. “Voyager is very well respected in the integrated library world and Clio is well respected in the interlibrary loan community. We’re bringing together the best of both worlds. In addition, we believe this partnership will also allow us to enhance the technical capabilities we can offer all of our Clio customers in the coming months and years.”
“We are delighted to provide this level of integration to our customers,”
said Jane Burke, Endeavor’s president and CEO. “Resource sharing through
interlibrary loan is an integral part of every library’s mission. This
partnership gives us a strong base of current functionality and a platform
for the future.”
Scottish Libraries
The official launch of Voyager at the National Library of Scotland
and the University of Edinburgh included the Scottish Parliament’s Deputy
Minister for Culture and Sport, the principal of the University of Edinburgh,
the librarians of both the National Library of Scotland and the Edinburgh
University Library, and Endeavor’s Jane Burke. Held in the Signet Library,
noted as one of Edinburgh’s finest buildings, the celebration brought together
the history of Scotland’s library past and present with the future of Voyager
library information research, according to the announcement.
Voyager’s Web OPAC provides users at each library with easy access to both catalogs and Internet resources. With Voyager’s smart design and distributed architecture, both libraries are developing common services to maximize the staff resources and physical capabilities of each facility. Both run from one set of hardware based at the University of Edinburgh, with a Sun Enterprise 4500 service that was manufactured in Linlithgow, Scotland.
“In our decision process, we involved staff who would be using the system—rather than managers—to be more democratic. Voyager was the choice in all functional areas—it is a new state-of-the-art system, not something evolved out of an old system,” said Fred Guy, director of information and communications technology at the National Library of Scotland. “The Oracle database and the Sun hardware were important determining factors, but we also considered the unique functionality Voyager provided. Our staff felt comfortable with Voyager and Endeavor.”
“Voyager was a very good choice for our consortium compared to other systems; we largely felt we would be able to save money for our institutions. We haven’t found any problems in working with an American system, either. A number of systems didn’t provide software that would be stable for consortiums, but Voyager is a solid, forward-looking system,” said Sheila Cannell, deputy librarian of the Edinburgh University Library.
Founded in the 1600s as the Library of the Faculty of Advocates, the National Library of Scotland (http://www.nls.uk) became a repository library in 1710. In 1925, the collections were given to the nation and the National Library of Scotland came into being. It is Scotland’s foremost general research library and the world’s leading repository for material on Scotland’s history and culture. Its collections include 7 million printed books, 120,000 volumes of manuscripts, 1.6 million maps, and over 20,000 newspaper and magazine titles.
Established in 1580, the Edinburgh University Library (http://www.lib.ed.ac.uk)
is one of the major libraries in Scotland. It holds over 2.5 million printed
and new-media items, 106,000 maps, 9,600 printed periodical titles, and
over 500 electronic journals. Serving a decentralized university of 21,000
students, it operates on 22 separate sites in the city of Edinburgh. By
first establishing an automated library system in 1984, Edinburgh University
Library was one of the first U.K. libraries with a networked online catalog.
Princeton University
According to the announcement, Princeton University is replacing its
current NOTIS system with the Voyager system.
Princeton’s libraries include the Harvey S. Firestone Memorial Library and 18 special libraries, which house 15 department collections. The Princeton libraries support 6,000 students and 1,000 faculty researchers with 6 million books, 3 million microforms, 36,000 linear feet of manuscripts, and 30,000 periodicals in 52 languages. Some of Princeton’s special collections include Western Americana, the Gest East Asian Collection, the Morris L. Parrish Collection of Victorian Novelists, the Robert H. Taylor Collection of English and American Literature, the Howard Behrman Collection of American Literature, the Miriam Y. Holden Collection on American Women, and the Junius Spencer Morgan Collection of Virgil.
“At Endeavor, we continue to take pride in Voyager’s success with academic and research libraries, particularly ARL libraries like Princeton University,” said Endeavor’s Burke. “Our top priority is to continue to provide the best library information system available for the changing needs of our academic and research library customers. With a campuswide commitment to teaching and research, Princeton has made a solid decision to choose the smart design of Voyager.”
Based in Des Plaines, Illinois, Endeavor Information Systems, is an employee-owned information technology company formed in September 1994. According to the company, over 600 academic and research libraries of every size have chosen Endeavor’s high-performance library system.
Source: Endeavor Information Systems, Inc., Des Plaines, IL, 847/296-2200; Fax: 847/296-5636; http://www.endinfosys.com.
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